


land of the lustrous

by Rubbishbinlord



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: AU, Body Horror, Complicated Relationships, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Self-Esteem Issues, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-11-29 13:39:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18223871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubbishbinlord/pseuds/Rubbishbinlord
Summary: Where the apocalypse happened like it was supposed to be. 9000 years had passed, and humans have been separated into the flesh, the bone, and the soul.OrThe umbrella academy but fragile gems. Angst and plot twists ensured.





	1. Genesis

**Author's Note:**

> This AU happens around 9000 years after the apocalypse, which the umbrella academy died from stopping it. The reason of them reappearing as Gems would be explained in later chapters. Here are some details for world building:  
> -The gems are all genderless  
> -The gems have no memory of being human at all and did not understand the existence of Lunarians  
> -To appear more humane, the Gems apply powder to their body to imitate human skin  
> -The Gems' body ratio is very different from humans, their legs and waist are much longer  
> I hope you enjoy reading.

 Master Hargreeves had been alone in their temple searching for the origins of their kind for almost nine thousand years after the Grand Apocalypse, but it was to no avail. Barely was known of their history except for limited information that was recorded in the scraps of burnt papers from ancient scripts, most of them describing a race of primal organisms by the name of “homo sapiens”, and that they once flourished in the vast lands of Mother Earth, where, Master Hargreeves had speculated, their flesh, bones and soul had decomposed into the ocean for purification after death, and emerging as Gems, Admirabillis and Lunarians respectively. Due to them being impartial organisms, the three species share very different qualities despite having similar appearances, making them all pathetic imitations of their ancestors. With the Lunarians inheriting most of the psychological traits from the “homo sapiens”, “greed” and “vanity” was their ultimate drive to capture Gems to make them as ornaments, which made them the worst enemies of the Gems for t thousands of years. Not much was known about them except for the fact that they live on the moons, however, due to their short raiding time and the tendency to attack with precision and silence. As most of the Gems were Quartz stones, and could not hold on to their attack for long due to their brittleness, Master Hargreeves, their main component consisting Lonsdaleite, a mineral with a hardness of Mohs scale 10+, was deemed the protector of the Gem race. With responsibility and solitude sitting heavily on their shoulders, Master Hargreeves scouted evidence of their origins scattered around the planet to learn weaknesses of Lunarians in the day while perfecting his skills in combat at night. The cycle kept repeating itself until the recent century, where their research has met a dead-end. Dejected beyond compare, Master Hargreeves created two “living matter” to accompany themselves, or simply to provide a more convenient workplace. The butler, Pogo, from grains of silicon dioxide, and the caretaker, Grace, from Conus Gloriamaris, a rare shell from a type of sea snail that could be animated with the right amount and type of filling. Together they had meditated, contemplated and combated in silence and fortitude for nine thousand years while grieving for the unsettling future where Gems could be obliterated by the Lunarians.

  
Until that day.

  
In October 11000, 43 Gems were washed up by the evening tide on the Shore of Nascency. The Gem species were never unearthed from the shore, let alone generated from the seabed itself. Recognising their possible abilities, the eccentric Protector Master Reginald Hargreeves intended to adopt all of them, however only seven remained intact enough for animation, the rest was shattered beyond repair. Determined to train them to meet their fullest potential in order for world salvation, Master Hargreeves introduced “the Umbrella Academy” to the Gem race on the same day.

  
Number One, otherwise known as “Luther”, raw material Kashmir Blue Sapphire, yielding an astonishing hardness and durability of 9, possessed strength and will so immense and unalterable even Master Hargreeves had to acknowledge it with respect themselves. Number one was adjoined with their twin sibling Number five at birth and had to undergo an operation for separation. His left arm, therefore, was altered into padparadscha, a gem from the corundum family with similar hardness to Sapphire.

  
Number Two, who preferred to be referred to as “Diego”, was born as opaque obsidian. Their self-esteem was relatively low due to his softness, only 5 on the Mohs scale. However, his ability to target with absolute precision and excellent craftsmanship of weapons made their reputation nearly as high as Number One themselves. That did not stop his aggressiveness and competitiveness towards Number One though. They were bitter enemies since birth, but not without reason.

  
Number Three “Allison”, who insisted on their body powdered even on underwater missions. A soul-capturing Gem with the main component of an extremely rare mineral Jeremejevite. They were the Aphrodite of the Gem race due to their high refractive index and captivating dispersion under the lights. Not suitable for frontline combat or practices due to softness and brittleness. Master Hargreeves was sure that they processed absolutely no special powers, unlike the others. They were, therefore, ignored and separated from the family most of the time. Number One would occasionally sneak to check up on her, however.

  
Number Four “Klaus”, bearing a name with a ring so obnoxious it echoes with their playful and carefree personality innately. His birth condition was quite queer, as their form consists of two minerals from birth. Brown Tourmaline for their body and their eyes of Ajoite Quartz, reminding Master Hargreeves of the race of homo sapiens from their appearance. Naturally curious, always daydreaming about becoming a star fighter against the Lunarians, they seemed to forget that their hardness was only 7, and ended up scratching or breaking themselves often after combat. Their special ability lies within the unknown, however, as they could communicate with the “deceased” form shards of the Gems. They liked getting high from seawater, just in case.

  
Number Five, who preferred not having a name but go by “five”, was born as Black Star sapphire, the same gem species as their twin sibling Number One. Their right arm was altered into Hematite after the separation process at birth. With hardness and durability comparable to Number One, they possessed a powerful ability of Spatial Jump and Time-travel, even dimensional travel if Master Hargreeves’ calculations were accurate, making them the best fighter possible against the Lunarians. To enhance performance, they broke their legs intentionally and altered them into black opal for even faster speed, as opal contains the largest amount of water for flexibility. They were berated by Number Three afterwards for fear of them losing their memories and control over their body. Number five, however, being dismissive as always, shrugged off Number three’s concerns with snarky remarks.

  
Number Six “Ben”. A remarkable individual with the ability to summon interdimensional species from different unknown realms was deemed to be the “trump card” of the family. Their birth mineral was of Emerald with a deep rich colour, which made their personality humble and serene due to their high pigment content within the Gem. They enjoyed meditating, researching and reading while hated going on expeditions to pulverise Lunarians during their raids. Attracted by Number Four’s expressiveness in which he lacked a great deal, they were observed following Number Four around like ghost quartz most of the time. If not with Number Four, he would most likely be with Number Five, in which they saw a sophisticated intellectual in each other. They would discuss deep topics such as philosophy and unsolvable equations in which Number Five would require in their ability.

  
And lastly, Number seven “Vanya”, a secretive, formidable Gem with the appalling ability of control over any sounds. They were born as the toughest mineral, Jade, which allowed them to manipulate sound frequencies without bringing harm to their own body. Upon discovering their talent on the first attempt to destroy Lunarians on a raid, they shattered every Lunarian and Gem within ten kilometres at least, including the respected fighter Number one and Number five, even Master Hargreeves was scratched with noticeable cracks. Fear for Number seven arose within the Gem race, pressured by his own speculation and outcries, Master Hargreeves began scheduling Number seven on night patrols, when all of the Gems would be buried peacefully into the earth to rest and when the Lunarian would never come. Isolated from the family, they chose to reside within a cave north to the Shore of Nascency.

  
All was well with their routine of eliminating Lunarians and going on the conquest of discovering the truth behind their birth and “homo sapiens”, that was until Number Five had vanished in an instant after the intense quarrelling with Master Hargreeves. That day, changed everything. And when it rains, it pours.


	2. Chimera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tragedic event of Luther Hargreeves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU concept was originally created by Haruko Ichikawa, a talented mangaka who serialized the manga "houseki no kuni" since 2013. Credits to her for the general world building. This fanfic's plot and details, however, is of no relations to the manga at all. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do in writing it.  
> -the Lunarians' appearance resembles Buddhist traditional style and clothing.  
> -"sunspot" is a significant warning sign that appears before the raiding of Lunarians, and was created by the Lunarians themselves. The reason for such behaviour was still not known.  
> \- Not all minerals are compatible for replacement of unrecoverable limbs. The chemical composition of the minerals was of pinnacle importance. If the replacement mineral does not meet the body's requirement, the host will break into tiny shards due to the strong compulsive force acting on it, and will mostly do permanent damage  
> -Gems hibernate in Winter

-About 2000 years after the disappearance of Number Five-  
At last the inevitable happened.

After the humiliating defeat of their Ringleader at the North of the Shore of Nascency, The Lunarians sought vengeance in an aggressive manner never seen before, striking the Gem race with arrows crafted from fallen gem resistors that were taken to the moon since the beginning of the forgotten times. All hope was lost when the last member in infantry team, Pink rose quartz, was struck down into collectable pieces of dispersive rays. The gems that were standing could do nothing but widen their irises, staring up to the azure sky blankly with fear smeared across their powdered faces. The Lunarians, their inhuman faces without expression of joy, continued to bend the bow along with the soft swaying of the fabric of their clothing as if it were only their duty and did not pay any mind in causing harm to the Gems. In the midst of the jungle of a thousand raining arrows who were seeking their innocent prey, it was only for an instant as a blurred motion resembling the formation of a crescent moon reflected the arrows back to the sky with determination. So swift was the moment when it came and fleeting, it was almost enough for the Gem's breathing to hitch abruptly and slow down. The Gems squinted their eyes towards the figure whose face was concealed in the shadow of the blazing sun, with light pirouetting into multiple beams upon their head. It was truly a picturesque sight, even to a luxurious gem.

It was Number One, Luther, from the Umbrella Academy, swinging their katana as if separating the day from the night.

The bewildered audience had not enough time to recover from their trauma until another gem came rushing into existence. 

“Luther! Hey!” the gem with bizarre dressing style, was recognised as Klaus by the gems almost immediately. They gripped their katana in an unreliable manner, succeeding in convincing others of they being extremely inexperienced in combat. Although the light surrounding their head was not as bright as Luther’s due to a lower refractive index, the exotic peppermint colour in their eye pigment was enough to convey their will to deprive the Lunarians of their proposed right of extermination of the Gem race.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? You have just been applied with glue!” Klaus exclaimed in exasperation while trying their very best to keep up with another adopted-sibling, Diego the opaque obsidian’s pace. 

“I can deal with this myself, Klaus.” Luther, who retorted childishly, not without annoyance, slowed down his pace of reflecting arrows back to the Lunarians in fear of losing his newly attached left arm, which was naturally brittle due to the operation. The Lunarians, seeing this as a chance, increased their speed in shooting relentlessly, not giving the deserved moment for Luther to catch their breath.

“Hey, Luther!” Diego saw a creak to poke their finger in, in other words, to poke fun of Luther while diminishing several Lunarians. “You are a sissy!”

“No, you are!” Luther hollered with resentment and gritted their teeth upon hearing Diego’s judgemental insult. 

“For the love of Ding-Dong-Ping or whatever their name is,” cried Klaus upon escaping the curse of five arrows narrowly. “How old are you guys? Fifty?”

“You are not the one to talk Klaus!”

“Oh, now you want to take it personally, do you?”

“Shut up Klaus, I still haven’t forgiven you for stealing my pendant twenty years ago.”

“Why am I the one being attacked most of the time? I am actually offended!”

“Because you are a sissy, most of the time. By most of the time I mean three hundred and sixty-five days in every year.”

“Diego, your insults are hardly inspiring. Try harder next time.”

“Luther!” 

“What is it now, K- "

Out of the atmosphere of self-indulgence, an arrow pierced the air and into Luther’s neck within blinks of a line of reflection frequency. 

The Gems stared helplessly as Luther’s head was separated from their body with a force so adamant it shook their entire psyche as pieces of broken sapphire seemed to disperse themselves towards the sky against gravity. 

All Luther managed to hear before their consciousness shifted towards the cruel black was distant shouts of his own name.

 

“To be most truthful Master Hargreeves, I had never expected Number One’s operation to be this…successful.” 

Luther opened their heavily-lidded eyes with difficulty. They thought highly of themselves when they managed to not squint at all when beholding the sight of Allison’s component, the shimmering jeremejevite. Allison was overcome with relief and joy, judging from their aggrandized facial features. 

“What…happened?’ Luther gathered their strength to vibrate sounds, hardly their voice, from their throat that felt foreign to them.

“Master Luther,” Dr Pogo, their butler made of animated silicon dioxide, dipped their head respectfully in acknowledgement. “We have attached your head, Kashmir blue sapphire, to a body made of Bortz, the toughest material in the diamond family for reviving your consciousness. I must admit, your survival without repulsion from the minerals is truly a miracle.”

“How so?” Allison chirped in to inquire with a genuine attitude. Luther had never seen Allison more concerned, which confused them immensely.

“Sapphire composes of aluminium and oxygen, and does not contain any traces of the Carbon element,” Dr Pogo explained patiently. “Bortz consists of the carbon element only, in stark contrast. Theoretically, these two minerals would cause repulsion for a rate as high as forty-three per cent.”

“No one told me that the chances were that high!” Allison knitted their brows together and their voice rose in agitation. “Then why did you choose Bortz as the replacement? Was that another one of your experiments?”

“You misunderstand, Miss Allison.” Dr Pogo visibly backed away in defeat. “The hardness of sapphire---”

“What’s the big deal Allison,” Luther couldn’t help but notice that something was very off with the conversation and their body. Their breathing was much heavier. “I am back and intact, that is all that matters, right?”

“No, Luther, you don’t understand. Your body is---” 

“My body is what?” Luther pressed on in anxiety that was accumulated by the silence draping over the trio.

“What Miss Allison was trying to convey is that your body---” Dr Pogo allowed the moment to settle itself before continuing. “is very---different.”

Luther sprinted towards the artificial lake with all determination in their lifetime gathered into a single minute, breathing condensed and fragile. They settled into an abrupt stop upon seeing their reflection.

Instead of the slim contour, they had expected to see, it was replaced with a five times taller, larger, bulkier ugly black material resembling obsidian. Their limbs were ragged and distorted upon the malnourished condition they were in. To be simply put, they were ugly.

Luther could only walk slowly back into the treatment room, their face blank with shock and desperation. Allison and Dr Pogo stole glances from each other while patting Luther’s shoulders comfortingly with sympathy. The silence loomed over for almost three hours before Luther found their voice.

“W-where are the others?”

“Luther, it is Winter now, the others are hibernating downstairs already.” Allison sighed in grief.

“What?” Luther shouted almost too loudly. “I thought it was early spring when I was attacked by the Lunarians! I-I need to see Vanya, t-they were responsible for my condition... they were supposed to keep watch of the North of Shore of Nascency... Allison, where is Vanya?”

“Luther, Vanya isn’t here anymore,” Allison replied with hollowness in their cracked voice.

“What?”

“You were asleep for almost one thousand and five hundred years, Luther. Things change.”

Luther could only continue to stare into the blackness, sharing the heavy silence between them.


	3. They said that guilt is contagious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the plot thickens when Vanya contemplated in their cave of self-imprisonment due to the guilt triggered by Luther's misfortunate events. Five and Ben appear in flashbacks for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gems eat sunlight by the way
> 
> Please comment and leave kudos if you like this fic! Every kudo counts!

 

Self-promo: <https://www.instagram.com/rubbish_bin_kun/?hl=en>

The concept art for this fic in case you want to know: <https://www.instagram.com/p/BvlxOyogEvm/>

 

 

 

The gentle night spread its presence across Vanya’s curled form, unbiased. With the moon as their sole companion, and waves stacking layer after layer to compose an aesthetic lullaby only eligible for wandering, lost souls. Their solitude was fortified by their den, a littoral cave on its verge of desolation. These halcyon havens were formed over millions of years ago by the wave action of the vast ocean, they had been told, and for that, they used to contemplate and admire the potential of these timid forces exert by sheer determination. Sensing an unfamiliar pressure for the liquid to escape from their eyes, Vanya raised their left ear from their knees momentarily, they had just realised the tide was almost hushed this day as if whispering some discreet comforts to them. For that, they tried to dissolve their consciousness in sync with the quaint, quiet chant of the organisms that once roamed the earth with pride.

_Although I hate to say this, it’s your fault, Vanya. Your fault._

Yes, Allison was right, for whose fault would it be if not Vanya’s. They had only one job, that was to keep watch of the shore of Nascency to prevent Lunarians from rampaging about but still managed to fail their sibling’s and Master’s expectations.

Their fault. It was their fault for the mess Luther had to go through. It was their fault for the disintegration of Ben. It was their fault for Five’s rebellious disappearance. It was their fault for the permanent harm done to Allison’s voice.

Their sole existence was a mistake.

_For that, I am sorry, sorry for ever existing._

Vanya dipped their head while waves lapped comfortingly, to and fro at their feet.

_If there is really an omnipotent lifeform that had created us, I pray, please let the Lunarians take me away to the moon, and to be together with others for a hundred thousand years at least._

Vanya was too deep into their thoughts to notice, the first bits of snow landing on their bowed head, soundlessly.

 

(flashback)

“Whoever deprived me of the will for winter patrolling, I hope you get suffocated under your blanket during your sleep.” A disgruntled, small form bristled under a thin, white sheet, raising their voice to exert aggressiveness. It was to no avail, however.

 

“But Five, you need to rest.” Vanya insisted, wrapping the sheet around the struggling gem even tighter. “You are always the one responsible for winter patrolling---wa----wait stop. Fighting. Sleep.”

 

“Vanya is in the right, Five. You should not put all responsibilities upon your shoulders.” a soothing voice, which Five identified as Ben, reassured over the small noises and whines Five made and patted their head to try to lure them to sleep. “There, there. Klaus would do the patrols while you’re asleep, okay?”

 

“Who? Me?” Klaus halted in dressing in their flamboyant pyjamas midway, mouth slightly gaped in shock. “No no no, no way! I would definitely fall asleep and hibernate in the middle of missions!”

 

Klaus whimpered quietly upon facing the hinting glares and sharp signals directed towards Five, all urging them to let the high-strung gem rest for a little bit.

 

“Told you.” Five’s voice became muffled under the pressure of the cotton blanket. “Only I am fit for the job.”

 

“What about Luther then?” Vanya suggested tiredly. “They kept on bragging to Diego about his ability to stay awake during winters.”

 

“Sound asleep in the Academy like a teeny tiny baby.” Klaus mused, imitating the rocking of tiny gems to be lured to sleep deliberately.

 

Groans of vexation for Luther resonates within the narrow cave.

 

“Let me go then. The place needs protection when all you dumbasses are hibernating.”

 

“Sleep please, Five. Vanya and I would try to keep watch. The Lunarians never attack during Winters anyway!” Ben grasped at Five’s arm while adding another blanket to five’s struggling form.

 

“You are all ignoramus.” a faint “whoosh” seeped out under the blanket, and in a matter of seconds, it shrunk into a puddle, making a soft “thump” upon touching the ground. “My ability is to perform spatial jumps; do you not remember?”

 

Sharply turning their heads and sighing with frustration, Vanya and Ben could only watch as Five ran off afar in the distant, engaging in their winter duties with ease, and dragging their saw blade sword with such force it left retraceable prints upon the soft snow.

 

“We will stay in the cave in case anything bad happens to you!” Ben shouted with all their strength towards the disappearing dot on the white canvas illustrating ominous isolation that would persist for five hundred years. “Find us here if you have any cracks or malnourishment, we’ll fix it for you!”

 

Upon hearing Ben’s novel declaration, the tiny dot stopped abruptly and turned towards the opposite direction. And with another spatial jump faster than any gem could process, they were back in the cave.

 

“Go back to the Academy, all of you.” Five knitted their brows and crossed their arms, signalling their tolerance was already seeing the bottom. “I could handle this myself.”

 

Accompanied by defeated sighs of “okay” and “fine”, he leapt away with ease.

 

“I think they meant that they don’t want us to get cracked up or injured in a cave facing the open sea.” Vanya hid a fondness under their airy and light tone.

 

“Although they talk as if they were the most mature one out of all of us, they are still such a child.” Ben shared a knowing glance with their siblings while closing his heavy leather book used to record geographical components and new species of plants.

 

“Some things never change over all those mundane years, I suppose then.” Klaus yawned dramatically while they whispered under their breath. “It almost makes me want to live my ridiculously-long life again.”

 

Together they shared a comfortable silence, watching clouds move graciously and carefree. It was until the sky was tainted with blood orange and blots of purple when they realised that it was time for them to hibernate, to prepare for the next Spring.

 

“Okay, enough dilly-dallying gems. Let’s head back to the Academy.”

 

“Right.” Vanya rose from their sitting position. Noticing that Ben was staring blankly at the ground and unmoving, they called their name. “Ben?”

 

“I…I think I’ll stay here, just in case.” They replied slowly, cautiously. “I have a very bad feeling about Five’s winter patrol.”

 

“Pfft. Reading about your horoscopes again?” Klaus jested lightly. “Fine, we’ll tell Master Hargreeves that you’ll be late for sleep.”

 

“It’s not like that. My horoscopes are always correct.” Ben blushed bright red with embarrassment, holding on to his last straw of dignity tightly.

 

“Whatever.” Vanya’s smile tugged the corner of their lips. “See you later in the sleeping chambers then.”

 

“Okay. Take care.” Ben waved smoothly as if separating air. “And sleep well for better condition!”

 

They ran off with laughter and contentment of their lives they had rarely felt before.

 

And Vanya had never thought about how ominous this harmless wave could be.

 

 

Vanya stirred when the first dulcet of the nightingale was projected through the flowy air of Spring, sensing change, they rose sluggishly against the soft sheets and mattress.

 

“Ben, are you awake?” they reached towards their right, where Ben usually chose to hibernate. Upon hearing no response from the chamber, they shouted with panic this time. “Ben!”

 

“Ah, Master Vanya you are finally awake, I see.” A figure representing an ancient creature with the name of a chimpanzee walked into the room with a crane, their head held low.

 

“Pogo!” Vanya was on the verge of breaking apart “Where is Ben? Please tell me that Ben is…”

 

They stopped mid-sentence when seeing the form hidden under the cloth in Pogo’s left hand.

 

“No matter how hard we tried, we could not bring them back.” Pogo’s voice trembled. “The monster they summoned that time created such a strong repulsive force…”

 

Under the black cloth was Ben’s unrecoverable, severed head, with bits of emerald reflecting Vanya’s tears under its powdered face.


	4. resolution, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the events during Vanya's hibernation were explained, part one.   
> Ben and Five got into a worrisome quarrel as dirt was dug up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sensei: A formal way of greeting teachers/masters in Japanese.

Winter. A period in time with less than ten days with full-grown sun and with accumulated, lethargic snow blanketing the earth, was always a chore for Five.

 

The snow had deteriorated to a waist-deep situation due to a sudden snowstorm, making Five’s way towards the frozen ocean even more unmanageable by every passing second. Gritting their teeth, they separated the snow with brute force by resonating their energy frequencies through the saw blade sword. Heaps and piles of semi-melted snow rushed towards the grey sky while groaning in distress. Five’s desire to bury his head within three feet under the snow deepened each step he took as the lack of sunlight during Winter had weakened their ability immensely. If only they could perform spatial jumps, the perspective of them towards the world would definitely be composed of multiple tracks with iridescent hue.

 

But they knew that this hassle was necessary for the well-being of their family. The importance of sleep quality during hibernation was of pinnacle importance for the slow development of Gem crystallization. However, when the barbaric cold of winter froze the sea surface, floating ice of massive size began emerging from the bottom of the ocean, while the frequent clashes between them cause high-pitched frequencies that would disturb the Gems. And in order to pacify the negative energy released by the ice, they must be completely broken down into pieces with saw blade swords, thus making Five’s responsibility even more inevitable and unavoidable, as their speed, strength, durability, compatibility with extreme temperatures and experience made them into the only suitable candidate for securing the academy during Winter.

 

“Cursed be to my irresponsible family.” They complained bitterly under their breath, voice partly enveloped within the heavy constraint of the giant, white, feathery quilt. “Always leaving these cumbersome missions for me to deal with.”

 

 As much as they desire to feel growth under the soft and frilly pyjamas that Klaus tailor-made for them, Five knew that they need to seize the time to pulverise the floating ice before they “talk”.

 

Releasing a sigh of desperation, Five shouldered their way through the ethereal white mercilessly, and the last thing that they had expected was hearing an intense shuffling sound emerging from beyond the horizon. Blinking their eyes vehemently to distinguish reality from imagination, they had decided that the leaping shadow was indeed moving towards them in high speed. Five swallowed thickly while readjusting their posture into battle prance, although the possibilities of a Lunarian attack was nearly impossible due to the lack of sunlight and the low chance of an individual Lunarain operation. That could only mean that either a type of gem with abnormal properties such as Antarctictite, which only generates under environment with temperature under fifteen degrees, was emerged from sea caves and wandering around wantonly, lacking in purpose of life and innocent in every way, or, one member from his dysfunctional family stayed awake till this very moment, and was agitated (or excited, Five could not tell from this distance) upon sensing his presence. In either way, they should be prepared to engage in any form of confrontation if the opponent decides to go berserk, and these were exact words quoted from Hargreeves-sensei themselves.

 

 “Five!” the figure waved in a kindly manner, however, turned mortified and frantic as Five prepared to launch his saw blade sword through them. “Five! It’s me, Ben!”

 

“Wha---” they rose their arm to block chunks of snow from filming the sight while squinting their eyes in suspicion. “Why are you here, Ben?” Upon realizing they were their companion, Five shoved the saw blade deep into the snow with aggression, frowning in surprised of the sudden interruption in their patrol, though their features softened quite a tiny proportion at least.

 

“Well…” the said gem panted, catching their breath hastily with their knees bent. “I was, um, hoping that we could do these patrols together while you can, well, teach me a thing or two about Winter…?” They raised both their tone and their eyebrows to emphasize on their curiosity. Unfortunately for Ben, Five was always _good_ at reading gems, and he was definitely _not_ buying it.

 

“Ben,” Five rolled their eyes until they could see through their head. “Please tell me it is not those idiotic horoscopes, again.”

 

“No. No, no!” Ben waved their palm in defiance. “The truth is I couldn’t fall asleep, and I figured out maybe it would be nice if I help you with winter duties so that you can grow properly, considering your siz----”

 

“Do not tempt me to break you into pieces,” Five glared daggers and spikes at Ben menacingly with their hand resting on their sword hilt. Ben felt his awkward laughter diminish and fidgeted with their fingers tentatively as if seeking for support. “I do not need your aid nor your worries, Ben. My composition is made for Winter. Always has been, unlike yours.”

 

“You need rest for pigment refill to prepare for high energy-consuming activities next Spring,” Five diverted his attention to their rapidly slipping forearm-length gloves, frowning for the trouble of its misfit. “and your responsibilities still lies in taking care of Klaus. God knows when will they start sleepwalking and accidentally break themselves again.” With their statement finished curtly, they started to turn and walk away from the dejected gem.

 

“My powers!” Ben blurted out the first reason, or excuse they could think of, innocently hoping that it would bend the steel will of Five, and apparently, it worked miraculously like a developing antidote, the fact that Five stopped abruptly in the middle of their track proved it to be true. Encouraged by the sudden change in attitude, Ben continued and surprised themselves without stuttering like an ignoramus. “I was wondering if the winter could help me stabilize the gold alloy inside me.”

 

“Guilt.” Five voiced echoed in the void and didn’t even look back. “It was guilt that made you so lively in the middle of this jolly season.”

 

Ben’s lips quivered in the realization of his true motives. Yes, it was his guilt fuelling him all along. The fact that they were not able to control their powers with precision led to the permanent damage done to Klaus’s mind had plagued them since, and was expected to continue to plague their entire life.

 

“I still haven’t forgiven you, in case if you are wondering,” Five sounded like they spat out something inedible. “Not after what you did to Klaus.”

 

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Ben hated how cracked and broken their voice sounded, and the pressure they felt that was stinging their eyes. “I-It was just impossible to control the alloy from losing its restraints! I love Klaus as much as you do, Five, believe me, I do!”

 

“Shut up!” Ben noticed how their hand on the sword trembled vigorously. “There is no such thing as _impossible_ when it comes to family, Ben. Don’t you go use that as an excuse from running away from your faults.”

 

“Then let my redemption to be possible Five!” Ben shouted desperately while averting his gaze towards their palm, which was gathering fallen snow with every moment passing.“please.”

 

Five did nothing as much as to snort loudly enough for Ben to let loose of their tears.

 

“Please, Five,” Ben begged under their breath, burying their face into the snow, expecting a rejection. “Please let me come with you. Just this time. I promise I won’t run away.”

 

After some moments of insufferable silence, Five finally spoke:

 

“We will start with winter chores.” And they continued their path towards the frozen ocean. “Starting off easy, breaking frozen ice on the sea to prevent the clashing of them, which will release intolerable noises similar to that of a screech, affecting the quality of rest in our family. Ben, are you with me?”

 

Ben didn’t realize that he was smiling stupidly in relief until Five threw an irritated and impatient look at them.

 

“We have to seize our time before the Lunarians come back for us,” Five sighed, waving their arm in dismissal. “So keep up.”

 

“O-okay,” Ben stuttered in loss of words and tumbled to the ground right in the buttocks when dealing with overjoyed emotions that were bubbling from their chest.

 

Home, it said. It was a feeling of acceptance.

 


End file.
